During the quest you will encounter a third trader, who explains that he has been bitten by a creature and will beg you to escort him too. Abandoning him will result in a bad deed, however if you do the good thing and allow him to follow you he will turn into a Balverine later on in the quest. This follows that unless you get to Barrow Fields as fast as you can you will lose one of your traders. Having a strong weapon and character can help with this or running all the way to Barrow Fields and getting him there without him transforming will earn you an extra 200 gold.

After passing through Darkwood Marshes and Darkwood Lake, you will enter the Darkwood Camp. This gives you the chance to resupply while the three traders heal from any damage they might have sustained during the journey. It also provides you with the opportunity to refill your own supplies or to purchase some new equipment. It should also be noted that one can choose to leave the traders at the camp and continue on whilst clearing a path and returning later to escort them.

Make your way to the next location, the Ancient Cullis Gate. If you have let the third trader follow, a cutscene will ensue where he will turn into a balverine after you traverse the bridge in the area. However, it is possible to keep him alive and prevent him from becoming a Balverine if one is hasty. Alternatively you can refer to the Tips section at the bottom of the page for other strategies to helping the third trader reach Barrow Fields safely.

After exiting the Ancient Cullis Gate area you will enter Darkwood Weir. Upon approaching the entrance to Barrow Fields you will encounter an Earth Troll who is blocking the path. At this point you should ask the traders to wait a safe distance away. For the Earth Troll at the end blocking the way to Barrow Fields, killing it is a little bit difficult. Since the troll is stationary it is advised to use your bow and magic while strafing to dodge the boulders being thrown at you. Another method is to advance towards the troll, prepare a ranged shot (spell/arrows/etc.) while the troll is picking up a rock, and release the projectile/spell just before he shoots his rock. Retreat immediately to a 'safe area' - the Earth Elemental will then burrow back into the ground if the player is far enough away. Skorm's Bow can also be quite helpful in this battle. See Tips below for more information.

The use of melee weapons is still a viable strategy although not recommended because it has a mighty stomp which is an area of effect attack. You can also stand back and use a melee weapon to deflect his boulders back at him. This will accomplish the achievement Feed The Troll in Fable Anniversary.

After defeating the Troll he will drop a gem (such as a Ruby) and then the path will be clear. Continue onwards to Barrow Fields where you will receive a warm welcome and the quest will complete.

The trader in the lightly coloured hat is optimistic unless the terrified trader (Dark hat) dies.

Use the wait expression to make the traders stop following you while you eliminate all hostiles ahead. Doing this will put them out of harms way making this quest much easier. After doing this simply ask them to follow you again.

In some areas of Darkwood such as Darkwood Lake, the bandits will run right past you up to the traders, if you have asked them to wait.

The areas you clear don't respawn enemies, you could use the wait expression to make the traders wait in the safe areas.

If you choose to reject the third trader you will receive 40 evil points, but killing him gets you 100 evil points. Although if you kill him from a distance with the lightning spell before he can begin talking to you, you will only receive 2 evil points.

Oddly, the third trader, unlike many of the other balverines, will run to you if you asked the traders to wait while you cleared the area, rather than attacking them. It is best then to avoid staying too close to the waiting traders as the balverine may lunge and strike them by accident.

One method of keeping the third trader alive (although 3-4 minutes long) is to take him along with you but upon reaching the Darkwood Camp, leave him there. Transport the other 2 all the way to the end of Darkwood Weir (after defeating the Troll) then ask them to wait and come back for the third one. He will NOT turn into a balverine whilst you escort him to the other traders prior to entering Barrow Fields.

When fighting the Troll, it can be helpful to pick up Skorm's Bow when leaving Darkwood Camp for this reason, as it can charge up indefinitely and kill the Troll with one shot given enough time. Just move far enough away so that he goes back underground, and then approach him while still holding down the drawstring before shooting.

An alternative strategy is to walk up until it surfaces out of the ground. Retreat to a safe distance so that the troll goes back underground. Take out your bow or crossbow and hold the button down for several minutes, depending on your skill. The longer you hold the button, the more powerful the shot. Without releasing the button, move up until the troll pops back up. Quickly lock on and release your shot. Doing this, it is possible to kill the Troll in one shot, depending on your weapon, your accuracy, and how long you held the button. You will receive a large amount of Experience, and a large Combat Multiplier. If you have any "Ages of..." potions, now is a good time to use them.

It is possible to make the quest easier to complete if one possesses the original Fable game (not TLC). This is done by getting to Barrow Fields before the quest even begins. You will need a Spade for this. Accept the Quest card at the Guild, then use the Cullis Gate to get to Barrow Fields. Go through the tunnel to Darkwood Weir, and you'll encounter a red barrier. Put your back to the barrier, and use your Spade (this is easiest if you assign the Spade to a slot). It is possible for you to push your Hero through the barrier (note that it may take several uses of your Spade). You'll then encounter the Earth Troll, which you can deal with as you wish. Then head through Darkwood taking care of things at your leisure. At the Entrance, you'll encounter the Traders. You may then easily and quickly stroll down to Barrow Fields with them.

A bug may occur in Fable Anniversary if the player saves the game upon reaching Barrow Fields with the first two traders but has yet to go back for the third at the camp (assuming one followed the strategy above). When loading from this save after entering Barrow Fields, the two traders will run towards the bridge to meet with a villager who welcomes them and you and then confirms your quest as complete. After this occurs if the player heads back to Darkwood Camp from the Barrow Fields entrance then they will find a red barrier has been put in place, preventing them from advancing. It is therefore recommended to complete the quest in a single run or have a save history.

Even if you manage to escort all three traders to Barrow Fields, bards will occasionally sing a song about the quest as if the third trader still transformed into a Balverine. This is likely because the third Trader was not supposed to make it all the way under normal circumstances.